Reamer for smokers&#39; pipes



March 5, 1963 F. A. FASSBENDER REAMER FOR SMOKERS PIPES Filed Sept. 15, 1960 IN VEN TOR. mmm/omfmm/m FIG.3.

VII/6714' FIGJ.

United States Patent f 3,079,932 BEAM-[ER FUR SMOKERS PRES Frederick A. Fasshender, West Orange, NJ, assignor to S. M. Frank 51 (10., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed 13, 1969, Ser. No. 55,677 lairns. ((Ii. 131-246) This invention relates to a tool or implement for use by pipe smokers, and more particularly to a device intended for use in reaming out the interior of the bowl of a pipe and for cleaning out the smoke passage.

It is an object of the invention to provide a sturdy, useful tool of this kind which will very effectively scrape or ream out the inner surfaces of the pipe bowl to remove the accumulated ash and charred material therein, thus rendering the pipe suitable for increased usefulness.

It is an object of the invention to provide, in a tool of this character, a plurality of scraper blades so mounted as to cause them to be adjusted to the internal diameter of the pipe bowl and thus operate against the surfaces thereof in the manner to efdectively scrape away the accumulations in the interior of the bowl.

It is an object of the invention to provide a reamer or scraper with detachable means useful for clearing the smoke passage or duct of a pipe.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forti in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a pipe reamer constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view, with a number of the parts shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a view of the plunger or stem, with a portion of the same shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of one of the scraper or reamer blades;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the closure plug;

FIG. 6 is an end View, in a slightly reduced scale, looking at the under side of the rearner, and

FIG. 7 is an end view of the under side of the stem or plunger.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the body or housing of the reamer. The same is composed of metal and is of tubular form and it constitutes a sleeve that is pro vided at one end with an enlargement in the form of a circular disk 2. The disk 2 is provided with a knurled or roughened periphery 3 to facilitate its engagement by the fingers of the user. The disk 2 is provided with a chamber 4, closed at the bottom by means of a threaded plug shown at 5 and seen in FIG. 5. The plug 5, when threaded in place as shown in FIG. 2, becomes for all purposes, a stationary part of the housing 1.

The plug 5 is formed with a central circular opening 6, through which a stem 7 constituting a plunger, is slidably movable. The stem or plunger 7 extends axially through the housing or sleeve 1 and is slidable through the same and has its upper end projecting beyond the upper end of the housing. For the greater portion of its length, the stem or plunger is hollow or tubular and in its interior it accommodates a slender rod 8, useful for cleaning out the stem or bit of a pipe. The rod 8 has a threaded part 9 that is threadably accommodated in the internally threaded upper end of the stern, and a knurled disk 16 is provided on the rod, the same constituting a finger piece by which the rod is held and used when it is detached from the stem.

t its lower end, the stem or plunger 7 is provided with a larger-diameter cylindrical head 11, formed with three longitudinally-extending radial slots 12, best seen in FIG.

3379,9324. Patented Mar. 5, 1963 ice 7. Located in each of these slots and pivotal therein is a reamer or scraper blade 13, shaped substantially as shown in FIG. 4. Each of the blades 13 is notched adjacent to its upper end as shown at 14, which notches 14 interengage with three radial slots 15 provided in the plug 5 with some looseness and which engagement is such as to permit slight pivotal movement of the blades, or a movement permitting the blades to have their tips or extremities 16 moved to or from one another.

Each of the blades 13 carries a rotative element, such as a ball 17, and provided in each of the slots 12 in the head 11 is an inclined guide groove 18 in which the ball is positioned. As will be seen in FIG. 3, wherein one of the guide grooves 13 is shown, the inclination of the grooves 18 is inwardly or toward the longitudinal axis of the stem or plunger 7.

Surrounding the stem 7 within the housing 1 and seated on the upper ends of the three blades 13 is a washer 19,

serving as a seat for a coil spring 2h surrounding the stem or plunger and located within the housing 1. The upper end of the spring 2% bears against a washer 21 titted around the stem and held in place thereon by means of a C-shaped retaining ring 22 seated in a groove 23 provided in the stem 7 as shown in FIG. 3. This arrangement is such that the stem or plunger 7 is spring-biased by the coil spring 2% to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the shoulder 25 on the head 11 contacts the lower face of the plug 5, and the reamer blades 13 are normally disposed in their position of greatest separation.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the improved reamer will be readily understood. In the use of the device, the disk 2 is gripped between the fingers and the stem or plunger 7 is depressed by the hand. While the device is so held, the extremities 16 of the blades 13 are inserted into the bowl of the pipe to be reamed. When the stem or plunger is so depressed, the angular guide grooves 18, acting on the balls 17 of the three blades 13, tend to pivotally move the blades in a manner to move their extremities 16 inwardly or toward one another and toward the longitudinal axis of the stem or plunger. The inclination of the guide grooves 18 causes them to act as cam grooves on the balls and thus to pivotally move the blades 13 inwardly to bring their ends toward one another as above described. While the blades are thus disposed in this retracted position, the blades are inserted into the bowl of the pipe and upon the release of manual pressure on the stem or plunger 7, the spring 26 becomes effective to retract the plunger and co-operates with the slots 18 to cause the blades to be moved radially outward to an extent to frictionally en gage against the inner wall surfaces of the bowl of the pipe. The reamer is then manually rotated and its blades will scrape the interior of the bowl and remove the accumulated ash, charring and other adherent material, leaving the bowl smooth and clean.

When it is desired to clean out the stem or bit of the pipe, the cleaning rod is unthreaded and it can be conveniently used for that purpose. While the rod is in housed position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, its disk 10 serves as a head for the stem or plunger 7 to receive the pressure of the hand applied to depress the plunger.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

l. A reamer for smokers pipes comprising, a sleeve, a stem axially slidable through the sleeve, a plurality of scraper blades pivoted at one end to the sleeve, the stem having a head provided with a plurality of axially inclined, radially opening cam grooves in which the blades are located, said blades including means in said cam grooves efiective to cause-radial pivotal movement of the blades inwardly toward one. another as the stem is axially moved relatively to the sleeve, and spring means arranged between the sleeve and the stem and normally urging the blades intoa radially extended-relationship; 1;, I; 2'. 'A manner for smokers" pipes comprising, a sleeve,s.a ce'ntrally-apertured plug mounted in one end of the' sleeve, a stem slidable through the sleeve and-through the central aperture in the plug, the stemhaving a headv formed with a-plurality of radiallyopening, axially inclined cam slots, scraper blades fitted in the slots andextending radially of the head, intermediate means on the bladesengagling in the slots permitting relative movement therebetween to pivotally'move the blades toward one another when the stem is axially moved relatively to the sleeve in a direction to move the head downwardly away from the plug; the blades being pivotally connected at =upper end portions adjacent one end--to the plug, and. spring means located within the sleeve and operative between the-stem ampmgto normally bias the blades into their position of greatest radial separation. I 3. A reamer for smokers 'pipes comprisinga sleeve having an axial passage extending through it, an: enlarged disk'portion atone'end of the sleeve, a closure plug threadably engaging the disk por'tion, a stem slidable through the axial passage and through the plug",'a cylinjdrical head on the-stem beyond the disk portion, the head having a plurality of longitudinal extendin gpradially opening,- axially inclined camgslots, a scraper blade :mounted for pivotal movement in'each of the slots, co- "operating bearing means on the blades forpermitting relative movementthereinland in-the slots for causing inward pivotal movement of the blades when the headjs moved downwardlyin a direction toward the free extremities of theblades, and -a coil spring contained within the sleeve and surroundinga part of ;the stem and operativev and normally urging the stem in a direction away radial extension of the blades".

'fro'm"the extremities of the blades to cause maximum l.t a e erwas p o id d p aimrl, Wh l1 co-operating bearing means on the blades and in the slots consists in a rotative ball carried by each blade and extending beyond intermediate opposed side portions thereof and movable in the slots,the slots having cam surface portions inclining inwardly in a, direction toward the axis of the head to thereby cause the blades to be moved toward one another as -the-head is moved downwardly toward the ends of the hlades. A, t v

5. A reamer for smokers pipes comprising, a sleeve having an enlarged disk at one end, a centrally-apertured plug threaded'into one: endof the disk, the sleevehaving a passage aligned with the apertur e in theplug, ta stero slidable axially through sa i d passage and through aperture int he disk,.the stem having a cylindrical head located beyond the plug, the head having radially' opening, axially inclined cam slots, scraper blades mounted in the slots, the; blades having ttra nsverse bearing poiq- ;tionsr having free" relative movement in, said slots and having notched ends,'the plug having slots in engagement 'with the notched endsof-the blades, the slots in the head having inclined cam surface portions, each o f the blades carrying a rotative elementcomprising said transyerse bearing portionengaging in the slots; in the head and;in

a gmanner ,to cause the blades to be; pivotally; moved toward the center of the headnnvmanualfdownward axial movement of the stem, and; spring means normally biasing the stem inan upward direction relative t'osaid sleeve.

References Qited in the file o f tli isjpaterit 

5. A REAMER FOR SMOKERS'' PIPES COMPRISING, A SLEEVE HAVING AN ENLARGED DISK AT ONE END, A CENTRALLY-APERTURED PLUG THREADED INTO ONE END OF THE DISK, THE SLEEVE HAVING A PASSAGE ALIGNED WITH THE APERTURE IN THE PLUG, A STEM SLIDABLE AXIALLY THROUGH SAID PASSAGE AND THROUGH THE APERTURE INT HE DISK, THE STEM HAVING A CYLINDRICAL HEAD LOCATED BEYOND THE PLUG, THE HEAD HAVING RADIALLY OPENING, AXIALLY INCLINED CAM SLOTS, SCRAPER BLADES MOUNTED IN THE SLOTS, THE BLADES HAVING TRANSVERSE BEARING PORTIONS HAVING FREE RELATIVE MOVEMENT IN SAID SLOTS AND HAVING NOTCHED ENDS, THE PLUG HAVING SLOTS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE NOTCHED ENDS OF THE BLADES, THE SLOTS IN THE HEAD HAVING INCLINED CAM SURFACE PORTIONS, EACH OF THE BLADES CARRYING A ROTATIVE ELEMENT COMPRISING SAID TRANSVERSE BEARING PORTION ENGAGING IN THE SLOTS IN THE HEAD AND IN A MANNER TO CAUSE THE BLADES TO BE PIVOTALLY MOVED TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE HEAD ON MANUAL DOWNWARD AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE STEM, AND SPRING MEANS NORMALLY BIASING THE STEM IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID SLEEVE. 